The launch of our birthday beer Alliance
When Wallonia and Flanders do work together flawlessly
De Brabandere Brewery and Dubuisson Brewery jointly celebrate 375 years of brewing history with the anniversary beer 'Alliance'.
A Walloon and a Flemish brewery launching a beer together must surely be a first. To mark the 125th anniversary of De Brabandere Brewery in Bavikhove and the 250th anniversary of Dubuisson Brewery in Pipaix, the two brewers are launching 'Alliance' together. Not one, but two beers were symbolically unveiled today on the language border.
Alliance, a unique exchange of brewing expertise
Belgian breweries increasingly collaborate with foreign beers, but a union between a Walloon and a Flemish brewery had until now been unheard of. "Yet for us it was a very logical choice," says Albert De Brabandere. "Both our breweries are part of the Belgian Family Brewers, where Belgian family breweries join forces to make Belgian beer known worldwide. It was there that I approached Hugues Dubuisson to join this joint project. We are 125 years old this year and Dubuisson Brewery already 250 years. So we brought our brewers together to put those 375 years of experience to work and create a sublime anniversary beer."
1 alliance between Flanders and Wallonia, 2 beers
It soon became clear that it could not remain just 1 beer. "We started from the strengths of both breweries," says Hugues Dubuisson. "Our Dubuisson Brewery is a benchmark for stronger beers, while De Brabandere Brewery has a fine reputation for foeder-aged beers. We gathered our brewers around the table and decided to work with each other's specialty." And so a Petrus Quadrupel brewed at De Brabandere Brewery travelled to Pipaix in Wallonia to rest for 6 months on oak wine barrels from Burgundy. And Dubuisson Brewery's Bush Caractère gained an extra dimension by being blended, in Bavikhove in Flanders, with Petrus Aged Pale that had lain for up to 2 years in the impressive foeders at De Brabandere Brewery.
Compromis à la belge
The end result is a compromise à la belge with 1 gift pack and 2 beers in a champagne bottle, available at Hyper Carrefour, Cora, Intermarché, Makro, Spar and at the better beer shops. "We are very proud of the 2 beers we can present today," says brewer Antonin Maes of Dubuisson Brewery. "The connoisseur will immediately notice how the microflora present in De Brabandere's foeders has given our Bush Caractère a delightful fruitiness. While the Petrus Quadrupel gained so much more intensity and a vinous character in our Burgundy barrels, with notes of chocolate, gingerbread and liquorice. A perfect tasting beer."
"We really succeeded in giving the beer we received from the other brewery our own touch and added value," adds brewer Pieter Maes of De Brabandere. "Two balanced beers, as befits our Belgian tradition. Don't ever say again that Flanders and Wallonia can't work together. We brewers are already setting the right example!"
A year full of festivities
For both breweries, it does not stop at jointly releasing a beer. "To mark our 250th anniversary, we also revamped our Bush range with a few new names and a refreshed logo. Later this year we will open the castle opposite the brewery as a visitor centre," says Hugues Dubuisson. "We keep investing!"
De Brabandere Brewery already kicked off this festive year last month with the opening of their Brouwershuys, allowing the brewery to open its doors to the public for the first time in its history. None other than master brewer Chris welcomes and guides the visitors. "With 34 years of experience, Chris was slowly thinking about retirement, but we are glad his knowledge is not lost. This font of anecdotes can captivate visitors from start to finish," says Albert De Brabandere.
Watch the video about Alliance and discover how both beers found their way to the language border for their official presentation.
